1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique of separating and analyzing constituents of a sample using capillary electrophoresis.
2. Background Art
In recent years, capillary electrophoresis devices having a capillary filled with an electrophoresis medium (separation medium), such as polymer gel and polymer solution, have become popular (JP Patent No. 2776208). Compared with a conventional slab gel electrophoresis device, a capillary electrophoresis device has a high radiation performance, can apply a high voltage and, therefore, can achieve high speed electrophoresis. Furthermore, the capillary electrophoresis device has many advantages that the amount of the sample is minute, that the capillary can be automatically filled with the separation medium, and that the sample can be automatically injected, for example. Thus, the capillary electrophoresis device is used for a wide variety of separation and analysis applications, including analysis of DNA and proteins.
In addition, JP Patent No. 3519647 discloses a DNA sequencer using capillary electrophoresis. In this specification, there is disclosed a thermostatic oven for adjusting the temperature of a plurality of capillaries. The device has a mechanism for filling a capillary with a polymer using a syringe or pump and a mechanism for performing automatic sample injection in the capillary or the like.